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Monday, May 01, 2017

Where Is Your Bookmark? (05/02/2017)

After much hand wringing, I finally settled into a new book this week, deciding to read LaRose by Louise Edrich. It wasn't even one I had been considering to read at that moment, but sometimes the book that calls to me isn't the one I was expecting.

Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a book they are reading or thinking about reading soon. It is also where I share my first impressions about the book I am sharing.

Where the reservation boundary invisibly bisected a stand of deep brush--chokeberry, popple, stunted oak--Landreaux waited. He said he was not drinking, and there was no sign later. Landreaux was a devout Catholic who also followed traditional ways, a man who would kill a deer, thank one god in English, and put down tobacco for another god in Ojibwe. He was married to a woman even more devout than he, and had five children, all of whom he tried to feed and keep decent. His neighbor, Peter Ravich, had a big farm cobbled together out of what used to be Indian allotments; he tilled the corn, soy, and hay fields on the western edge. He and Landreaux and their wives, who were half sisters, traded: eggs for ammo, rides to town, kids' clothing, potatoes for flour--that sort of thing. Their children played together although they went to different schools. This was 1999 and Ravich had been talking about the millennium, how he was setting up alternate power sources, buying special software for his computer, stocking up on the basics; he had even filled an old gasoline tank buried by his utility shed. Ravich though that something would happen, but not what did happen.

Every Tuesday, Ambrosia from The Purple Booker hosts Teaser Teaser at which participants grab their current read, open to a random page, and share two or more sentences from that page while avoiding any spoilers.

Teaser from page 11 of LaRose:

No, said Emmaline. She growled and showed her teeth. I'll kill you first. No.

Teaser from page 11 of LaRose:

Then he looked at Nola and saw that her face had broken open. All softness was flowing out. And the greed, too, a desperate grasping that leaned her windingly toward the child.

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

I started reading this yesterday morning and was pulled in immediately. Events unfold fairly quickly in terms of the tragic event that changes both the Landreaux and Ravich families' lives. I really like Edrich's writing. This is my first novel by her. It promises to be an emotional one, and I am eager to read more of it.

What are you reading at the moment? Is it anything you would recommend?

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is Cover Theme Freebie. I am guilty of being drawn to a book by its cover. And honestly, I can sit and gaze upon books with beautiful covers all day long if given the chance. What better way to tackle this week's topic than to look over the books I've read over my book blogging career and share with you my favorite cover for each year? (Covers listed are from the year I read the book, not the year they were necessarily published.)

1. 2006: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

2. 2007: Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

3. 2008: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

4. 2009: Haunting Bombayby Shilpa Agarwal

5. 2010: The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli

6. 2011: Witchlanders by Lena Coakley

7. 2012: Ironskin by Tina Connolly

8. 2013: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

9. 2014: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

10. 2015: The Uninvited by Cat Winters

11. 2016: The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister

12. And of the books I have read so far this year (2017), my favorite without a doubt is Lisa See's The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.

52 comments:

I didn't put them on my list but I bought both Moloka'i and The Lotus Eater's primarily for their covers. I like the Sarah Waters cover as well. There is an impression of movement to those empty gloves!

These are definitely covers that would sell me on the book. There's a book (series?) with a beautiful blue dress on the cover...every time I see the cover, I think I need to buy it, even though I know nothing about the story!

I like the writing in the opening, so I'd keep reading! I know what you mean about hand wringing about your next read. I spent too much time last night trying to decide on my next read. Also, I love the book covers you chose!

Monica - Choosing the next book to read shouldn't be so hard! I usually am okay if I have the next book planned before I finish the one I'm reading, but if not . . . It can take me a long time to decide. What wasted reading time!

La Rose sounds tempting. I've only read one book by Erdrich: Shadow Tag, and it was chilling. I didn't like one aspect of the writing style: there were no quotation marks in dialogue. I find that style confusing. (I'm currently reading a book with that same quirk, A Separation).

I don't know if her other books are like the one I read, and I could probably manage the absence of quotation marks, now that I've seen other books like that...so yes, I might just have to keep reading.

As for beautiful covers, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is my favorite (above), and I loved the book, too.

Laurel-Rain - The lack of quotation marks is a bit disconcerting. I haven't read too many books like that--but if you ran into it with Shadow Tag, I'm thinking it must be common practice for her given that is also the case for LaRose. I do like her writing overall though and am enjoying the book. I'm still not terribly far in though.

I love the cover of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. Such vivid colors and detail! I loved the book too. :-)

When I think back on it, our fears for the new millennium seem silly! It would be fun to read a story that takes place during that time. This sounds like a book I'd enjoy.My Tuesday post features Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die.

La Rose sounds a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, I feel that things are going to be bad and I could do with a cheerful read just now! Covers are really important for me and it's lovely to see your choice.

I adored The Thirteenth Tale and I am collecting all of Alice Hoffman's titles as ebooks and trying to work my way through them all. Did you know there is a prequel to Practical Magic coming out in September? :)

La La - I have enjoyed the Hoffman books I have read. I really would like to read more of her work. I love her writing style. She is what saved me for magical realism. I read a book by another author that made me think I hated the genre, but she brought me around to realize it depends on the author and has nothing to do with the genre itself.

I hadn't heard about the prequel to Practical Magic, but now I will be sure to keep a look out for it! Thanks for the head's up.

Yes, I'd continue. The story sounds good so far and I'm aware Erdrich is well regarded.

Love the patterns on the edges of the books on The Thirteenth Tale. It's such a classic book thing, very inviting. Goodreads and its home page has me wanting to read Moloka'i, beyond the story itself it's always in mind.

I've always loved the cover of Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, UK edition, both hardback and paperback. The composition and the tone of the photos just work.

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At the age of five, Literary Feline (aka Wendy) was diagnosed as a fabulavore. Due to the low story content of movies and television, she has required a steady supply of books to provide her sustenance. She currently resides in California with her loving husband, adorable daughter, and two affectionate and sassy cats. Literary Feline has broadened her nutritional sources by reviewing books. Please note: Literary Feline is not a bibliovore. She's not eating the books for goodness' sake.